I love to be reminded of just what a small world we live in so here’s a fun email I got from a Journeys Within past guest:

Hi Andrea,

Hope you and Brandon and the kids are doing well!! I had to share a story with you from last night!

SO I have a new roommate. Craigslist find, she is rad. We were hanging out in the living room, drinking wine, and telling life stories when we started talking about places we’d traveled to. Turns out Kathy just got back from a trip to SE Asia in November of last year. And she’s telling me all about the trip and how it was really fun, but the most amazing part was Cambodia because she just felt like the whole experience there was really special and the people were amazing and the tour they had set up was phenomenal. Then she mentioned visiting the home of a local family and I was like WAIT A SECOND, which tour company did you use, because I did that too and I’m pretty sure it’s the only one that does that. And then we both said Journeys Within! HAHAH

We laughed for a good 5 minutes about the coincidence and then she just went on and on about how wonderful the trip was and the B&B, and you and Brandon. So I just wanted pass along that my roommate is another happy Journeys Within customer and she tells everyone she knows about you guys too. Her name is Kathy and she came with her friend Todd, if that rings any bells.

It of course does ring bells, I remember Kathy and Todd visiting us last November and am thrilled that they had such a great trip and I love that Journeys Within guests find each other all over the world! Have you had a small Journeys Within world experience? If so let me know and we’ll feature it on the blog!

These days, with low-cost camera-ready drones available from a number of different manufacturers, and a bevy of amateur and professional videographers getting into the drone video game, we’re seeing more and more aerial video tours of the places we visit throughout Southeast Asia.

Take a moment (or five) and enjoy these unique perspectives on some of the monuments and destinations you may have already experienced first-hand or might have on a travel bucket list, from each of the five countries we offer tours in.

We suggest you make each of these videos full-screen to truly appreciate the stunning footage captured in these amazing places. Enjoy.

Cambodia

Tour the Angkor Wat temple complex in this video by 5Mars.com titled “Angkor – Visit from the sun.”

Thailand

See the Thai island of Koh Yao Noi in this video by Philip Bloom.

Vietnam

Enter the magical world of the Hang Son Doong cave system via drone in this video by Ryan Deboodt.

Myanmar

See the temples of Bagan from above in this video by YouTuber Clipper 707.

Laos

Enjoy a selection of aerial shots above the countryside of Laos in this video by YouTuber moodakdrone.

On Monday of this week Couper met me at the door when I got home and tearfully informed me that his class was going on a fieldtrip, but he didn’t want to go. He showed me the permission form from the teacher which explained that to celebrate Diwali the kids would be going to Indian food for lunch and then, if they wanted, getting henna paintings on their hands. Since his lovely teacher Ms Lucy is teaching them about festivals and celebrations this month it seemed like a great day and I signed the form, much to his dismay. On Tuesday, he informed me that he still didn’t want to go, though being Couper he had handed in the form! I asked him why he was so scared of a fieldtrip and what fun it is to explore and see other cultures. I tried to ask him why he didn’t want to go, but he wasn’t able to articulate it and I assumed that he just was being Couper…slightly stubborn and adverse to change. Tuesday night he couldn’t go to sleep and I felt so bad I said I would go with him on the fieldtrip, in my heart I knew he would enjoy the trip and I thought he was just scared and maybe if I went he would see how silly he was being. Of course on Wednesday morning I remembered the meeting I had and sadly told Couper that I couldn’t go after all, and fairly enough he fell apart. Finally, truly annoyed, I said, “Couper, what is the big deal, why won’t you go on this silly trip.”

“Because it’s just so faww,” he answered.

So far? I couldn’t understand what he was talking about. I explained that the restaurant was next to the old market and it would only take about five minutes to get there. After thinking for a minute he said, “but mommy, India is past Thailand, and it takes us all day to get to Thailand.”

In my head I could hear Ms Lucy explaining to her class that they were going to see an Indian Festival and wouldn’t that be great and Couper, knowing where India was, went into panic mode. Now if I had never sent my kid away on a long trip by himself maybe he would not have assumed I would ever in my right mind send him to India…but just last summer he went for a week to Washington DC with just his Grandma. And maybe if he had never been on a plane, or never had a passport, or not been to the 10 countries he’s been to in his four years, he would have doubted his teacher, but being a global child, Couper has been all over the world. Born in Bangkok, raised in Cambodia, summers in the US and more stamps in his passport than most adult Americans, my little boy believed that he and his class were getting on a plane and heading to India and he wasn’t thrilled about the idea!

As soon as I explained to Couper that they were only going to an Indian restaurant and that it was next to Pizza Company, his favorite restaurant, I could see all the tension leave his little body and he headed out to get ready for school. I feel terrible that he went all that time thinking he was heading to another nation on Wednesday, but I am also proud that 1. he knew where India was on a map and 2. that as soon as I said I was going, he was all for it!

Of course Callie wandered into the room after and I explained the misunderstanding. “Wait,” she said, “can I go to India?!”